Nagpur: Bageshwar Dham Peethadhish Dhirendra Krishna Shastri triggered fresh controversy after advocating larger Hindu families and suggesting that one child be dedicated to nationalist causes such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the army or public service.

Speaking at the Bharat Durga Shaktisthal and Dharma Sabha in Jamtha, Nagpur, Shastri said families should have four children and ensure one grows up with RSS-inspired ideology.

"The purpose behind this is to make him a nationalist. Whether you dedicate him to the RSS, the army, or make him a collector... keep his ideology consistent with the RSS so he can continue to wave the flag of Hindutva."

Shastri added that he too planned to eventually enter the householder stage of life. He said he would "contribute to increasing the population of Hindus as much as God wills."

Shastri also raised concerns over demographic changes and alleged “Love Jihad”, calling it a “slow poison” spreading from Madhya Pradesh to Maharashtra.

While stating that "it is not wrong to love," he said changing names and disguising identity to "violate values and culture" was a crime.

"Our only prayer is that you may become anything, but never become a burqa-clad woman," he told the gathering, while urging Maharashtra to bring in strict legislation similar to Madhya Pradesh.

He also defended his religious outreach activities against allegations of promoting blind faith.

Shastri said faith was "trust based on understanding" while superstition was "trust without understanding."

He added, "If inspiring people to visit Hanuman temples is superstition, then all religions in this country would be considered superstition."

The remarks came amid an ongoing controversy over his earlier comments on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Responding to criticism, Shastri said he was "extremely sorry" and claimed his statements had been twisted on social media.

"Forget about disrespecting him, I cannot even tolerate anyone criticising Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in my dream," he said.

His comments had sparked political reactions in Maharashtra, with Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut questioning the silence of senior leaders present at the earlier event attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.